The disclosure paradox: how persuasion knowledge mediates disclosure effects in sponsored media content

Persuasion knowledge is an established construct in the explanation of recipients’ coping with persuasive communication. It gains particular importance when persuasion attempts are covert. This is the case for sponsored content, as it closely adapts to its media environment. Hence, disclosures are employed to uncover such content as persuasion attempt. In the present study, we argue that disclosures activate different sub-dimensions of persuasion knowledge which can lead to paradoxical effects: On the one hand, disclosures increase recipients’ activation of conceptual persuasion knowledge by highlighting the persuasive intent of sponsored content. On the other hand, disclosures decrease recipients’ activation of attitudinal persuasion knowledge by making sponsored content appear less deceptive. This results in two opposing mediation effects where disclosures simultaneously increase and decrease anger through persuasion knowledge activation. The findings of two experimental studies show that these mediation effects occur consistently in the contexts of social media and blogs, while a third experiment reveals divergent findings in the context of journalistic media.